The book is so old and so frequently referenced that I finally read it. It's different. I was surprised. It reads like it's written at a 10th grade reading level from the beginning. Lots of random and wandering thought lines are anchored in massively-funded and easily externally referenced material to dispel doubt, nearly two centuries of military research, 18th -20th century foxhole hearsay somewhat updated with 21st century PTSD science. The book gets past the basic writing to grow into a considered writing. The concepts and mind imagery raises the book to an intense mind fertilizer read. Read a bit and sleep on it. It creeps into your mind as it should.
"On Killing" describes in visceral detail a mental conditioning phenomenon. My 40-some years of defense R&DTE experience runs directly and indirectly through the subject.
The narrative converges on a seeming constant summed up with the long studies that normative conscript and basically trained citizen soldier translates to ‘80-90% of front line combat shooters don't shoot’. They may in fact be unable to kill another human being. Is there a deep subconscious rejection to killing that cannot be trained out? The phenomenon has been observed for 300 years and well documented between even the most desperate belligerents.
The writers and amenders here compare very long-term rifle range 'marksmanship' scores with long observed battlefield kill statistics ... 80-90 out of 100 shooters, all with 10 for 10 scores on the firing range can be predicted to not shot in combat or intentionally shoot high. Up to 1000 shots per kill from a trained army have been observed on the battlefield even against closely spaced bayonet charging enemies. The civil war should have been predictably many times more lethal if combatants actually shot. WWI should have demonstrated the highest lethality of any war before, but casualties were in fact statistically lower than major medieval battles. WW2 may had the worst shooter marksmanship disparity between range accuracy to 100M vs actual <25m kill rates. How can it be that automatic single serve weapons have not been conclusively demonstrated to be more battlefield lethal than 18th century Prussian single shot muskets? Training evolved accordingly.
Begin with the data ... 10-20% of rifleman will kill. 80-90% won’t. The squadron level soldiers are shown to know the killers from the non-shooters. A squadron battle order is collectively and perhaps without discussion resolved by its members. Members know who a reliable shooter is and who is not. Non-shooters are accepted, not rejected by squad members. There is no apparent squad level dishonor in not shooting in the heat of battle. The non-shooters will earn their keep and lose their own lives more frequently than squad shooters to ensure the killing shooters survival and rate of fire. The squadron shooters will abide by the collective arrangement. An unspoken equilibrium emerges among squad members.
Crew served weapon shooters are savage killers. Collective killing dynamics are far different than the rifleman dynamics.
Grimly, how can it be that a ‘firing squad’ member can exit 5-years of battlefield firing squad duty to describe the experience of never shooting a convict? Why do firing squad records reflect a progressive inaccuracy of shots on target? How could it be that some recorded firing squads required three or more attempts to execute the convicted? Here is a deep, dark human psychology primer. "On Killing" forces unanswerable questions on the reader … is PTSD more prevalent among shooters or non-shooters? Is the high rate of vet suicide a function of killing or a breakdown from not shooting? How much PTSD is the result of self-loathing or deep regret for not shooting when comrades and the battle demanded it? Is special forces training designed so rigorous in an attempt to separate shooters from non-shooters from among the general infantry population? Here the modern training regimen has reversed and changed the shooter from non-shooter.
Tough, intense questions from such a short read. "On Killing" will most assuredly affect your military and history thinking. The authors here focus understanding around the killing dimension.
The book is a thoroughly adult read I think. Young adults headed for the police or military career should read it. Concealed carry citizens should read it. Here be thoughts that might save your own life.
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Popular Highlights in this book
Looking another human being in the eye, making an independent decision to kill him, and watching as he dies due to your action combine to form one of the most basic, important, primal, and potentially traumatic occurrences of war.Highlighted by 1,125 Kindle readers- “The soldier above all other people,” said MacArthur, “prays for peace, for they must suffer and bear the deepest wounds and scars of war.”Highlighted by 1,091 Kindle readers
- Some psychiatric casualties have always been associated with war, but it was only in the twentieth century that our physical and logistical capability to sustain combat outstripped our psychological capacity to endure it.Highlighted by 937 Kindle readers
About the author
Must read for professionals treating post-combat trauma!
Not only has Lt. Col. Grossman done a great service to US armed forces by writing both On Killing and On Combat, he has also done already service to those of us in the mental health industry who are trying to help our warriors recover from post combat trauma. Our heroes deserve our support through he difficult period of transition after service and these books are incredibly insightful for those of us who want to serve those who have served us all. Thank you for your insight and vast knowledge that you have shared in a way that helps those of us who have not been in their shoes try to help them find their way back.
Top reviews from other countries
Amazon Customer
A “MUST READ” book for everyone
Reviewed in Canada on October 19, 2022Paolo
Una lucida analisi sulla psicologia del soldato...
Reviewed in Italy on July 3, 2024Luciano da Silva Rodrigues
A visão sobre o ato de matar e os custos para os guerreiros e para a sociedade
Reviewed in Brazil on June 6, 2021Stephane Baillie
a compelling argument against violence in the entertainment industry
Reviewed in France on January 5, 2024
